That Cat In the Well
by Lainyle
Summary: When Kagome finds a mysterious new cat at home, what will she do when she realizes the cat's true nature?
1. Hanyou to Cat

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Enough said.  
  
Author's Note: The main character of this is going to be the 18-year-old cat hanyou, Taneko, but the Inuyasha cast will be involved in it as well. I know this chapter is a little short and dark, but it'll hopefully get better! This is just an experiment, so if someone reviews and likes it I'll continue. ( Chapter 2 will hopefully be much longer!!  
  
Chapter 1: Trapped As A Cat  
  
A low branch appeared from nowhere, slapping him across the face when the boy still continued forward. Leaves scattered behind him as he ran barefooted, at an impossibly fast pace for a human. It was an impossibly fast pace for even a half demon, too, considering the extent of his injuries. Fear and adrenaline kept him running, and his terrified thoughts kept the pain at bay.  
  
-He'll catch me soon, I can't keep this up!- Taneko thought desperately, looking over his shoulder as he ran. Nothing was there but darkness.  
  
"You took your time getting here." A familiar voice said forebodingly, ending with a chuckle. "But that can be expected of a halfbreed. Now, where is it?"  
  
Taneko froze at the words of his father, stopping to bow his head shamefully. Now that he had at last stopped running, pain began shooting throughout his body, threatening to bring him down. "Father, I will not give you the shard. I'm sorry."  
  
Without a word, the man ahead of the boy looked behind him. A well was just nearby-how perfect. He laughed cruelly, turning back to face his son. The boy's sharp, cat-like ears lowered in submission, and he waited patiently to be beaten. His father was not in his true, cat demon form, but he still had the upper hand over the boy. When his father did nothing, Taneko looked up cautiously.  
  
"Half demons. scum of the earth. But now, you'll shame me with your presence no more." The cat demon smiled, delighted with his plan.  
  
A hand shot out and grabbed Taneko roughly by the neck, but the boy did nothing more than flinch and look hopelessly at the hand around his throat. -Kill me. please, just do it.- He pleaded quietly, waiting.  
  
But instead of choking him, changes suddenly began to occur. A bright flash of light blinded him for an instant, and then a strange feeling overcame him. Taneko thought the light had made him see things, but even when his eyes cleared, he still saw the same thing; his human hands had turned into paws. The world seemed much smaller, too, and his father much taller.  
  
Taneko attempted to ask what his father had done to him, but instead of words, an odd sort of meowing emerged from his throat. The cat demon tightened his grasp on his son, and walked slowly towards the well. When he reached it, he held the 'cat' in his grasp over the top. "Now, where's the shard? Or will it take a dip in the well to change your mind?"  
  
Panicked and confused, Taneko avoided his father's eyes and looked into the black void beneath him. Even if he could swim, it would be impossible to escape that well in this form. But he couldn't give up the shard, either. Taneko hung there limply, still avoiding the demon's eyes. The jewel shard in his shoulder began to ache, and he feared his father would somehow spot it.  
  
"So you choose to die over a shard? Pathetic, as always." The cat demon loosened his grip, looking disgusted at Taneko. "Die."  
  
Finally, Taneko looked up incredulously at his father. Would he really drown him, or was this just another threat? He was answered when the grip around his throat disappeared, and he fell into the blackness. His back hit against the well wall, and his injured arm seared with agony at the impact. No amount of clawing at the walls slowed his descent, and he knew it would be a matter of time before the water in the wall would come.  
  
-I'll just let myself drown. At least then I won't have to deal with Father anymore. or Mother, for that matter.- But the water never came, nor did the bottom of the well. Taneko cautiously opened his eyes, surprised to see himself lying on the bottom. He hadn't felt the impact at all; and where was the water in the well?  
  
Taneko tried getting up, but his body would not respond to the attempt, and he just lay there. -Perfect. Instead of drowning in a few minutes, I'll be down here for days before I die. Just my luck that this well is dry.-  
  
He somehow managed to move his head, to look up at the top of the well, expecting to see the cat demon waiting at the top. Instead, he saw a significantly different cat face staring down curiously at him. This new cat meowed questioningly, looking down curiously at this strange cat at the bottom of the well. Taneko blinked for a moment, realizing other differences- such as the lack of daylight, and the wooden ceiling above the well.  
  
Footsteps approached, and a boy appeared beside the cat.  
  
"Buyo, there you are!" 


	2. Souta's Cat

Disclaimer: .I don't own Inuyasha. Still don't have enough bribe money to give them yet.  
  
Author's Note: A review!! Yay!! As promised, here's another chapter. Please keep the reviews coming, I really appreciate them! Even if it's just short, it lets me know you're reading the story, and that gives me more reason to keep writing. Also, the chapters aren't going to be very long, since that way I can update more frequently.  
  
Chapter 2: Souta's Cat  
  
Souta looked at Buyo; the cat's tail was puffed out, and the rest of his fur stood on edge. This confused the boy greatly, since Buyo was normally a very placid type of cat, and even that one guy, Inuyasha, couldn't always make him afraid. "Buyo? What're you staring at?" Souta asked fearfully. The well wasn't sealed; what if there was some horrible demon down there? Demons had come out of here before, he remembered that clearly. But that had almost always been to attack Kagome, his sister, and Inuyasha had been there to save them.  
  
"It's not a demon. it's not a demon." Souta told himself repetitively, peering cautiously into the darkness of the well.  
  
After much squinting Souta made out the outline of something lying at the bottom, and he froze in fright when it moved. Slitted, amber eyes glared up at him suspiciously from the darkness, and the thing continued to move slowly. Was it. going to pounce!?  
  
"Buyo!! It's going to attack!!" Souta dived behind the cat. Buyo purred calmly, rubbing the side of his face against the little boy's hand. When Buyo opened his eyes, Souta took one look at them before looking back into the well.  
  
Slitted, amber eyes. Souta laughed, arrogantly getting to his feet and looking more confidently into the shadows. "Mom should have let Grandpa seal it up again. Looks like some cat fell down there, Buyo."  
  
"Souta! What are you doing in the shrine? Is it Kagome?" A voice called.  
  
"No Grandpa, I was just looking for Buyo! But I found him!" Souta yelled back, scratching Buyo behind the ears. He decided to keep the cat in the well a secret for now, for reasons he couldn't quite understand. And if he told Grandpa, the old man would probably be convinced the cat was cursed or a demon since it "came" from the well.  
  
Once the mutterings about the cat's obsession of the shrine faded past his hearing distance, Souta looked around the shrine quickly. He needed something to climb down there with to get that cat out of there; there was no way it could get out by itself. Something like a ladder would be better than a rope, especially since the cat would probably be scared and refuse to come near him. Souta thought about those sharp cat claws, and considered getting a jacket while he was at it.  
  
Picking up Buyo in his arms, Souta turned to release the cat outside of the shrine. Once sure that the feline wouldn't try getting into further mischief, he looked along the walls for a ladder. They usually kept one there, to make it easier for Kagome to get out of the well when she came home. Sure enough, when Souta rounded the corner to the back wall of the shrine, he found a ladder leaning up precariously against the wall. It looked difficult to move, but the thought of that cat sitting at the bottom of the well erased his doubts. They hadn't checked the well since yesterday, and that cat could have been there all day and night for all he knew.  
  
Souta grasped the ladder with both hands, looking up carefully when he removed it from it's resting place. The top swung back, and the weight surprised him greatly. He nearly fell with the ladder, but stubbornly managed to slowly lower it to the ground. If Grandpa heard a large crash coming from the shrine, he was sure to investigate, and Souta still didn't want him to find the cat. Looking cautiously around the corner, he returned and began dragging the ladder into the family shrine.  
  
An innocent "meow" from Buyo greeted him, and Souta moaned in exasperation. "Buyo, you're not supposed to be in here! You want to end up like that other cat?" Souta finally managed to reach the well, and he looked down into it. That cat down there still hadn't gotten up, or changed position other than its head.  
  
Buyo cooperatively hopped out of the way when Souta began lowering the ladder into the well, trying his best to keep from accidentally dropping it on the cat below. For a ladder it was a very light one, but the height made the task frustrating and cumbersome. He kept expecting the cat to get up and get in the way, but instead it kept perfectly still, watching him. Something about those eyes unnerved him.  
  
Souta descended the ladder slowly, since he had to look down as he climbed. He didn't dare not look away, in case he really did miss a demon waiting for him down there. "It's just a stupid cat.. Just a cat." Souta stopped, as he finally got a closer look at this fallen feline. "I've never seen one like that before. You're not from around here, are you?"  
  
The boy jumped off when the ground was close enough, and took a good look at the cat. It looked severely injured; a gash across one of the cat's forearms and many scrapes were marked in the fur by flecks of blood. "Someone got in a cat fight." Souta remarked, taking a step forward.  
  
The cat responded by pinning both ears back, and glaring at him threateningly. This struck him as odd for a cat to do; did cats normally glare like that? They did flatten their ears, but not glare meaningfully. Souta reached out cautiously to the cat, expecting it to strike out at him early from fear, but the cat froze instead. The pinned ears dropped now, and the glare changed to a look of fear. Instead of lashing out, this cat shrunk back from his hand and attempted moving away. This was another abnormal cat behavior; a cat trapped in a well would be jumpy and defensive, not cautious.  
  
"Hey, I won't hurt you. You're a weird cat." Souta spoke aloud. He knew the cat wouldn't understand, but talking made him less frightened. He kept moving forward slowly, wondering when he would be slashed at.  
  
Now this odd cat returned to trying to glare the boy to death, and look threatening. It didn't work very well, considering when the cat tried getting up to defend itself better, the badly slashed arm brought it down to the ground again. But still, nothing more than a short, pained hiss came from the cat. No mad-cat growling, meowing, or loud hissing.  
  
Souta took courage from the cat's fear, and placed a hand on the cat to pick it up. The second he did so, the feline flinched and once again attempted backing off.  
  
"You're jumpy. I can't believe you haven't clawed me yet." Souta muttered impatiently. The cat, in response, pinned back his ears again.  
  
"SOUTA! Dinner time!" A feminine voice yelled worriedly. "Where is that boy?"  
  
Jumping at the sudden mention of his name, Souta then scowled. "Great, and she's coming this way! Look, if I don't get us out of here she'll kill me." He informed the cat worriedly.  
  
To Souta's surprise, the injured cat actually went from angry to worried. It looked from Souta to the ladder and. sighed? The boy paused for a moment, but when his mother's voice rang out again, he quickly grabbed the cat and began the climb up. Even though he held the cat in one arm and in a probably painful way, due to injuries, it did not try to jump free or bite. This cat was extremely tense, however, like it was prepared to run off. Had it understood he needed to get away quickly? It must have been his tone of voice.  
  
Souta reached the top of the ladder, nearly smashing into his mother as he did so. "SOU- oh! What were you doing in.?" His mother stopped, seeing the injured cat in his arm.  
  
"He fell in the well, Mom. You won't tell Grandpa, will you?" Souta asked plaintively.  
  
"Poor thing! Here, give him to me and I'll see what I can do." She smiled, "Your Grandpa will have to know about the cat, but not where we found him."  
  
***  
  
Taneko flinched when yet another person took hold of him, trying his best to resist the urge to attack them. He had been surprised when the human child seemed to recognize him as a demon, but now he was being called a cat. Both of which were somewhat true; he was half cat demon, after all. Taneko spared a glance at his new paws again; well, now he was most definitely just a cat. But still, the indignity of his situation angered him. How dare they treat him.  
  
.Like a cat. Could he blame them for it? He looked the part, and even Taneko himself would probably never guess for his new cat self to be a half demon.  
  
-How did he do this? If he can turn demons into harmless animals like this, I smell trouble. Or he could have just done it because I figured out how to defeat him. if only I hadn't been so injured. I could have tried harder!- Taneko sighed again, losing his tension.  
  
"There now, you see, I won't hurt you." The human woman told him sweetly, mistaking his despair for relaxation. "Souta, he injured himself like this falling down a well?"  
  
Souta, apparently the name of the young boy, shrugged. "I dunno, I didn't actually see him fall. He was there when I found Buyo in the shrine again."  
  
Taneko tensed again, unable to get over his situation; no doubt they would not let him escape, even if he could. Were they tricking him, making him think they wanted to help, when they were really bringing him to his father? And speaking of that demon. how had he disappeared like that? -I must have been knocked out when I was falling. That's why I never remember landing on the bottom. That still doesn't explain how this shrine of theirs got there.-  
  
The woman looked into Taneko's eyes, and he glared back into hers. "Well, I don't think he came from the well. He doesn't look like a demon." She trailed off thoughtfully, slowing her pace slightly.  
  
-Only half demon. Damn, I wish I could at least say something other than 'meow'! How am I supposed to get out of this? Perhaps I'll let them heal me, and then I'll make a run for it the second I can stand.- Taneko smirked; quite a sight for a cat to do. His satisfaction faded when they continued walking, and the cat hanyou realized that not only the mysterious shrine was different.  
  
The forest had nearly disappeared, with only one truly mighty tree standing. That tree seemed to hold some sort of importance. Taneko also spotted a house up ahead, trails, many things he did not remember seeing. He hardly recognized the place anymore; reassuring himself that it was just his new stature that made things awkward sounded hollow. This had to be the same place, and yet everything had changed in only a matter of minutes.  
  
-And I'm not asleep, either, otherwise my wounds would not be hurting so badly.- Taneko concluded grimly. -My father must have put a spell on me other than this cat curse. Yes, that's it. It's just some clever illusion.-  
  
The human brought him inside of the odd house, and soon placed him on some soft material. Taneko could only allow himself to be limply placed, and now his urge to bite and scratch was lost. He hardly had the energy to keep alert and prepared, much less waste energy warding off a bunch of clueless humans. Especially since they so far seemed to have no harmful intentions. Other than harming his shred of dignity, that is.  
  
Taneko waited, and soon both of the mortals disappeared. Instantly he acted; once more he used his fear to create strength, as well as stubborn determination. He had to get the jewel shard out of his shoulder; every demon nearby would attack him soon if he didn't be rid of it. In this state he was not fit to fight off demons, and now that the cat demon had vanished, he had no more need to protect the shard. He moved his head slowly, inching it toward the place where he had hastily shoved the shard into his shoulder. His teeth fastened around the shallowly embedded shard, and he quickly yanked it out. After that, all he could do was collapse and stare at the shard resting near his head.  
  
Footsteps approached, and the young boy ran up to his mother, looking very happy. "Hey Mom, Kagome's back!" 


End file.
